Iconic Recipes

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ew Orleans has long enjoyed a reputation for its fine restaurants, including Antoine's, Galatoire's, and Commander's Palace, where one can dine on such delicacies as creamy spinach-topped oysters Rockefeller, sherry-spiked turtle soup, and bananas Foster. Elegant French sauces, like béarnaise, hollandaise, and marchand de vin, are ladled on poached eggs, seafood, meats, and myriad vegetables, giving dishes a refined and opulent style. Venture west of the city to what is known as Acadiana (the 22 parishescountiesof southern Louisiana), and you'll find many small towns serving spicy sausages (like boudin), rabbit stewed in sauce piquante, and crawfish étouffée. Here the cuisine is pungent, peppery, and as robust as the farmers, fishermen, and trappers themselves who settled in the area more than 200 years ago.

The difference between the two cuisines of south Louisiana is easily recognized, at least by the locals, who will tell you that the Creole food of New Orleans is city-French and Cajun cuisine is country-French. While each has its origins in the French-style, both have been flavored by many other hands that stirred the pot, including American Indians, African slaves, the Spanish, and West Indians. Along the way, the two cuisines have mingled, sharing available herbs and spices, such as bay leaves and cayenne. Both Creoles and Cajuns make gumbo and jambalaya, but there are as many recipes for these dishes as there are bayous crisscrossing the state.